(October 22, 2008 - Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)

The race for New York’s 23rd Congressional District has brought in big name political personalities from every corner of the ideological Right, but the biggest star to date threw her name into the fold yesterday.  (No its not Oprah – She’s on the other end of the couch).  Sarah Palin decided it was time to let New Yorkers know who she supports for their Congressional seat in NY-23.

She is as “conservative” as they come, so she has obviously decided to support independent candidate Doug Hoffman.  I am not sure what the motivation was here or if it will even be of benefit to Hoffman, but I am not surprised one bit that she couldn’t resist the temptation to get involved in this one.  I’m sure she saw the headlines that this race was beginning to gain.  That combined with a Facebook message or two giving her the nudge in the direction of the conservative Hoffman, made this a no-brainer.   Perhaps she would have flexed her “conservative” muscles a bit more vigorously if she would have been in on this race a couple of weeks ago.  Maybe then she could have been the first “Maverick” to support an Independent over the Republican choice.

She really could have ran with that.  But she didn’t, and now she is at this late hour trying to give to Hoffman what she couldn’t give to McCain – a victory.  Palin’s endorsement does interject a bit of irony to the race as some have called Hoffman’s opponent, Dede Scazzafava, the “McCain” candidate because her candidacy is nothing more than an attempt to appease moderates in a practicality campaign that ignores principle.  Essentially it is the Republican Primary of the 2008 Presidential election.

When news of this endorsement sweeps through New York, I can’t wait to see how the poll numbers begin to spike.  Unfortunately, if Palin has any impact at all on those numbers, I fear that they will be in the wrong direction.  Palin brings the best/worst out of people and frankly its the worst out of our side of this one.  As the Palin fan club begins to rally around Hoffman, I fear that his armor won’t seem quite so shiny.  On the other side of the coin, Palin will bring out the Dems to oppose her or the candidate she supports.  I have no doubt that the DNC is smiling proudly this morning as phones ring with volunteers on the other end of the line.  I truly hope that her endorsement isn’t the final nail in the coffin.  Palin entering the fold is a desperate grab for attention and national publicity – for her and her book.  She will do nothing to bring credibility and support to Hoffman.  He should reject her endorsement and true conservatives and many New Yorkers would gladly jump on the Hoffman bandwagon.  I sincerely hope that Palin has not sealed the deal for a Hoffman defeat which already appeared imminent.

Politico

“The people of the 23rd Congressional District of New York are ready to shake things up, and Doug Hoffman is coming on strong as Election Day approaches! He needs our help now,” Palin wrote in a statement that will be posted on her Facebook page late Thursday.

“I am very pleased to announce my support for Doug Hoffman in his fight to be the next Representative from New York’s 23rd Congressional district. It’s my honor to endorse Doug and to do what I can to help him win, including having my political action committee, SarahPAC, donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law,” Palin continued. “Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a ‘time for choosing.’”

Scozzafava has been plagued throughout her campaign by grassroots conservative activists who have questioned her credentials, and Palin is the latest in a slew of prominent national conservatives who have weighed in for Hoffman.

“Best of all, Doug Hoffman has not been anointed by any political machine,” Palin wrote. “Doug Hoffman stands for the principles that all Republicans should share: smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense, and a commitment to individual liberty.”

“Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of ‘blurring the lines’ between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections,” she added, launching into an attack of the Republican Party.

“Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate that more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party’s ticket,” she wrote. “Republicans and conservatives around the country are sending an important message to the Republican establishment in their outstanding grassroots support for Doug Hoffman: no more politics as usual.”

Tags: Alaska, dede, district 23, doug, GOP, governor, hoffman, new york, newt, REPUBLICAN, Sarah Palin, scozzafava

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 7:56 am and is filed under REPUBLICAN. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.